News
Biden closes in, Trump promises litigation
* Election hanging on swing States
* Biden leading in GOP stronghold Georgia
* Trump’s chances thought to be fading
* White House renews fraud charge
* Trump criticized for ‘undermining electoral process’
* Possibility of race ending in a tie not ruled out
The US presidential election was down to a few States yesterday evening with Georgia with 16 electoral votes being prominent among them. According to official polls results, Democratic candidate Joe Biden was closing in. Biden had won 253 electoral votes and Trump 214. There was the possibility of the race going either way with the results of the remaining States coming in. Media outfits have announced different results, and this is because their conclusions are based on projected results.
The final result in Georgia, where Biden was leading at the time of going to press, is expected decide Trump’s fate in the race. This State has been a Republican stronghold for the last 28 years or so. If Biden bags Georgia he will have 269 electoral votes. If he loses it, he will have to win in two other states to pass the 270-vote mark. According to the projected results, if Trump loses Georgia, he will be able to secure only 269 votes even if he wins all other states including Pennsylvania, which has 20 electoral votes. A candidate has to obtain at least 270 electoral votes to win the election. If speculated scenario played out, the race might end in a tie, polls analysts say.
Biden, in his address to the people, said they had to wait until the last vote was counted. President Trump declared himself the winner on the election night itself, saying that he would take the election to the Supreme Court if he was defeated in what he called a fraudulent manner. He spoke from the White House again, yesterday, repeating the allegations of widespread vote rigging and other frauds. He said millions of postal votes had reached the counting centres after the Election Day and the Republican observers had been denied access to some centres. He, however, did not field questions from the media. He left immediately after making his 17-minute speech.
Meanwhile, elections to the House of Representatives and the Senate took place alongside the presidential race. The presidential contest has overshadowed them. The Democrats were hoping to capture power in the Republican-controlled Senate, where a party has to obtain 51 seats to be the winner. But, they were not likely to make it, according to political observers.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya participated in a high-level dialogue titled “Tourism as Soft Power and Diplomatic Capital” held at the Euronews Hub, Piz Buin Davos, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on January 20.
The session explored how tourism functions as a strategic instrument of diplomacy by strengthening international trust, cultural exchange, and regional cooperation through mobility and people-to-people engagement. The Prime Minister shared the panel with Mr. Kuban Omiraliyev, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States and Mr. Meshari Alnahar – CEO Aseer Investment Company, Saudi Arabia.
Addressing global trends, the Prime Minister emphasized that Sri Lanka is an example of hope, recovery and resilience in a world of conflict demonstrating how tourism can play a critical role in a changing global environment particularly amid climate shocks, geopolitical instability, and uneven economic recovery. She noted that tourism is not only an economic sector but also a vital diplomatic bridge that supports livelihoods, builds relationships and connects people.
Drawing on Sri Lanka’s recent experience, she highlighted the country’s strong tourism recovery despite multiple crises, including the impact of Cyclone Ditwah. Transparent crisis management and strategic engagement with international partners helped sustain visitor confidence, resulting in record tourist arrivals even in challenging circumstances.
The Prime Minister also underscored the importance of green and climate friendly tourism infrastructure and underlined that Sri Lanka welcomes long term investment in tourism. She pointed out that tourism supports millions of jobs worldwide and that inclusive policies are essential to ensure fair opportunities, particularly for women and vulnerable communities.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
During an operation conducted in the dark hours of 20 Jan 26, the Sri Lanka Navy seized two (02) Indian fishing boats and apprehended seven (07) Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, off Kovilan, Jaffna.
The seized boats and Indian fishermen was to be handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Myliddy, Jaffna for onward legal proceedings.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya participated in a series of high-level bilateral meetings on January 20 on the sidelines of the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.
The Prime Minister attended a productive bilateral meeting with Mr. Jozef Síkela, European Commissioner for International Partnerships. During the discussion, both sides focused on strengthening Sri Lanka–EU cooperation and advancing mutual interests.
Prime Minister Amarasuriya also met with Mr. Masato Kanda, President and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), at the WEF Congress Centre. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss ongoing engagement and future collaboration between Sri Lanka and the ADB.
In addition, the Prime Minister held discussions with Mr. Hassan El Houry, Chairman of Menzies Aviation, where opportunities for collaboration in aviation services and connectivity were explored.
The Prime Minister also participated in a high-level dialogue at the Global Tourism Forum held at the Euronews Hub, Piz Buin, Davos, as part of the World Economic Forum engagements.
Dr. Anil Jayantha, Minister of Labour, and the Deputy Minister of Finance were also present at these meetings.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Sri Lanka is an example of hope, recovery and resilience in a world of conflict – PM
Brook needs to ‘regain trust of players’ after New Zealand nightclub incident
Navy seizes 02 Indian fishing boats poaching in northern waters
Prime Minister participates in high-level bilateral meetings at World Economic Forum
Dushmantha Chameera, Dhananjaya de Silva return for England ODIs
T20 World Cup crisis: PCB writes to ICC supporting Bangladesh’s stance
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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